Chief Executive Officer - Sika Pakistan

EVOLVE: Please share a prelude to your professional career? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: I joined Sika in 2010 and have engendered a dynamic growth to the company during this period. I started my career with Ammar Textile in 1996 as a management trainee and worked in various capacities ranging from product development, quality control, procurement, to serving as head of production. From 2003 to 2009, I served in AkzoNobel; formerly known as ICI, to develop the company's textile and trading business which is a major part of the Specialty Chemicals business. In 2010, I joined Sika to successfully launch Sika operations in Pakistan as CEO of the company. I am an MBA graduate having a technology background in the field of Chemistry. I am a board member for Pakistan Green Business Council and part of the Executive Committee. I am also a Board Member for the Swiss Business Council and part of the Managing Committee.

EVOLVE: Please tell us something about Sika products and solutions? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Sika AG is a more than 100 years old company with a much diversified history of catering the construction needs in all the five continents of the world. Sika has its own subsidiaries in more than 98 countries and 160 manufacturing facilities across the world. It provides the most innovative solution in construction, catering the demand from domestic to engineered infrastructures. Sika operates in seven target markets; Concrete, Refurbishment, Flooring, Sealing & Bonding, Industry, Roofing & Waterproofing. Sika believes in building trust which is the main slogan of the company. The company business has two major splits; construction and industry. In Construction we deal the demand on projects, like Gothard Tunnel which is the world’s longest railway based tunnel, while in Pakistan Sika has been actively involved in projects like Orange Line Train, Neelum Jehlum and BRTS whereas in Industry we provide technologies which are shaping the new trends globally. We provide adhesives for automobiles to make them lighter, safer and more durable, as a fact the world's 50% cars have been made with Sika’s adhesives.

EVOLVE: How do you elaborate your personal leadership secrets for leading a team? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: When it comes to building a culture of Performance, Setting Strategy, Vision, Value, Building Teams, one has to be a master showman. As a technologist, corporate leader and entrepreneur I am able to make people love their workplace which had previously been impersonal to them.

EVOLVE: How about the construction market? Where exactly does Pakistan need Sika? Any new trends in the construction sector you can see? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Construction sector of Pakistan is growing fast; in fact, infrastructure development is the backbone of any economy. In Pakistan there are not many brands of construction chemical companies. New technologies are shaping the world and we as a nation are behind; especially in the area of usage, know-how and technology, whereas Sika has a core philosophy of sharing knowledge and solutions for construction needs. The construction solutions awareness with the effort of Sika is increasing. We have seen people inquiring about the quality products on projects like, in hospitals and pharmaceutical companies the users are inquiring for hygiene floors and wall coatings. Sika has been providing the same to contribute to a safer environment.

EVOLVE: Quality affects price. How do you cope with this challenge especially when cheap Chinese products are easily available in Pakistan? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Quality has its price and durability. With increased awareness, the customers are more inclined towards sustainable and durable solutions. Sika is unique in providing such solutions. Imagine, at present, building a house at Sea View Karachi which can sustain for years. We compare cost as an element over time and we ensure the customer should get the best benefit from our products with the longest durability, eventually turning our products more valuable for consumers. In China we have one of our biggest companies, which not only leads the Chinese market in construction chemicals but also setting standards for high quality products, is a proof of what we say.

EVOLVE: How strictly do you manage risk management and especially how do you prepare your team for this crucial task? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Risk is inevitable and when you apprehend this, you should always be prepared for anything that comes your way. A CEO’s job is to steer the organization in the right direction, regardless of any difficulty or challenge and motivate its team at the same time. Swiss are among the most ethical nations in the world and have developed very strong controls which can be implemented and can get the benefits, we being the Swiss organization, have inherited all best practices from our parent company. I am very proud of my team who has implemented the same in true spirit. 

EVOLVE: Please enlighten our readers about Sika Research & Development initiatives? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Sika’s success and reputation are based on its long-lasting tradition of innovation. At Sika we aim to provide our consumers with better solutions every day. Worldwide we have 1,400 employees in Research & Development (R&D), Quality assurance (QA), and Technology support (TS). Sika is also the largest manufacturer of one-component polyurethane sealants and adhesives worldwide. We have filed about 70 new patent applications every year and therefore Sika’s patent portfolio is constantly growing. Since inception we have filed more than 3000 patents in the field of construction chemicals. At present it comprises 682 unique patent families, more than 2,600 single patents. 

EVOLVE: How do you forecast Sika business growth in the emerging market of Pakistan? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Pakistan is an emerging economy with enormous potential, in construction from a residential project to a mega infrastructure project. I am very happy with our operations in Pakistan where Sika has developed its business in new markets and set new standards of performance in sales and profitability. This demonstrates the acceptance of our products and ultimately adding to our growth. Sika is eager to keep the momentum to grow more and will be investing more in the economy of Pakistan. We will be inaugurating our production facility which is going to be Pakistan’s first LEED certified construction chemicals manufacturing facility. This certification is a reward for best construction practices and provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources while improving the environment; with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. EVOLVE: In your view what are the key elements needed to make a successful organization? Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: There are many attributes which comprises to the success of an organization but it's important to build a culture of healthy communication in which company’s stated values are applied consistently. Communicative culture ultimately initiates a high level of performance across the organization. Timely decision-making is another key element which is vital for a successful organization. As a whole it comes to Building Trust in each function of the organization which will transform to its success.

EVOLVE: How do you face the challenges and transform them into opportunities? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Challenges are opportunities if you deal with them in a structured way. Every day we face challenges. As a core philosophy of Sika we do not sell products, we sell solutions. In fact the solutions are the ones which create opportunities for us from a challenging environment where we operate. My whole organization is geared up to face such challenges and results are very encouraging when we receive an appreciation from our customer in the form of trust. 

EVOLVE: How effective do you perceive Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: For me, corporate social responsibility allows us to do our bit for the society, environment, customers and stakeholders. We don’t take CSR as a marketing tool; we take it as an obligation to give back to society. Sika has recently collaborated with Transparent Hands (a crowdfunding platform working for medical surgeries for the poor) to spread awareness about hygiene and bacteria free floors and wall coating for hospitals particularly for operation theaters. We collaborated with Liter of Light and provided Sika specialty adhesives for portable lamps to improve the living standards of unfortunate families. The main goal of Sika is to support communities in infrastructure development for social projects, to promote training in construction professions and trades and to provide emergency aid to disaster-stricken areas if needed, so that people should be aware of the right construction solution with the right usage.

EVOLVE: Is there any particular practice that you want to share with the world in order to make business more productive? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: The most important aspect for a successful business is to develop leaders within the organization. It will make the business more competitive and productive. 

EVOLVE: Kindly enlighten our readers about the environmental certification of Sika Pakistan’s new manufacturing facility, and how this will contribute to strengthening the efforts of a clean environment for Pakistan? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: I take pride in the fact that our new manufacturing facility is the first construction chemical plant in Pakistan which has been awarded LEED Gold Certification by USGBC (United State Green Business Council). To brief you a little about LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), it is an International rating system for buildings which evaluates the environmental performance of buildings and award points across several areas that address sustainability. Sika’s sustainable solutions enhance the utility of the project. Each of our products has a unique LEED certification which helps users to gain value during each phase of construction. All of this has been achieved by using Sika products during the construction which reflects Sika’s commitment towards the environment. Sika is committed to reducing the risk and resource consumption. The strategic target of Sika is to focus on sustainable solutions, energy, water/ waste and occupational safety. Being a LEED certified building, Sika’s new factory will be resource efficient as a result of which it will be saving 20% Energy and 50% of water efficiency in comparison to any other industrial facility in Pakistan. The vicinity has been built using 75% local indigenous building & construction materials. It has 30% better Indoor Air quality, having a substantial green area which will be providing our workers a safer and cleaner environment to work. By LEED certification Sika is successful in achieving its goals of having more value with less impact on the environment, thus contributing to cleaner Pakistan. 

EVOLVE: Any message for the readers of EVOLVE magazine? 

Ahmed Naveed Chaudhary: Focus on your potential and do what is required but never give up; nothing is difficult or impossible unless one thinks it is. For example, it was a challenging decision for Sika AG to invest in Pakistan in 2010 as we were subject to colossal political instability around that time. But, we proved ourselves by generating results. And now, we are in the process of building a state-of-the-art factory in Lahore along with a research-based technological center which would not only serve Pakistan but the entire region. Chances are higher that we shall be able to build Sika in Afghanistan through Pakistan.